The Observatory
by Kallashandra
Summary: It was pouring with rain when Viorica arrived in Mistral. She hated the rain. She was lost. She hated Mistral. And then she found a gang hangout. OC centric. A series of one shots and short stories revolving around Viorica Zaruciti, licensed Huntress and employee/secondary heir of Zaruciti Foundries. Loosely connected, not always in chronological order.
1. Like Cats and Dogs

It was pouring with rain when Viorica arrived in Mistral.

The black haired woman sighed with annoyance at the autumn weather as she swung her cane around to rest against her shoulder, the brilliant blue glimmer of hardlight filled the area as a convex circle formed above her head. Rain splattered against the hardlight umbrella as she stepped out into the street, pulling a hardcover suitcase along as she exited the airship terminal.

She made an imposing figure, towering above most people of Mistral at a very respectable 6 foot 4 inches, made even worse by the black suede, wedge heels she wore. Her black, business-like blazer dress added to her serious look with its double breasted gold buttons, and the pin of her family emblem glinted on her navy lapel as she strode through the residents of Mistral City.

As she walked, Viorica tucked her cane into the crook of an elbow and pulled out her scroll, being careful not to tilt her umbrella too far lest she end up soaked. She had a list of recommended hotels to stay at, of course, though the fact that she had to call around herself after arrival made Viorica grumble. Since the Fall of Beacon and the collapse of the CCT network her job had only been harder to accomplish outside of Atlas itself, and the blue eyed woman missed the times she could have simply had a secretary make all the minute arrangements for her.

Other than the hotel situation, she also had a target; one Jinyun Hong, a blacksmith in the lower part of Mistral. He had no idea she was coming, and Viorica intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. With this in mind, she skipped past the hotel listings and onto the address for Jinyun's shop. _It shouldn't be too hard to find, provided Mistral is set up in a logical pattern._

* * *

Mistral was not set up in a logical pattern.

Or at least, the lower levels of it weren't. A combination of mountainside and rapid expansion had led to the streets below being a twisting maze of residential housing and seedy businesses. Viorica knew she was completely lost when she found herself staring at a series of warehouses with the very familiar Schnee logo on the gates. A guard manning the entryway watched her suspiciously as the heeled woman strode up to him.

"Excuse me," She began with a polite smile, "Will you please point me in the direction of the craftsman district? I'm looking for the Zaruciti Foundries smithy."

"You're a long way out," He told her, looking her up and down for any signs of duplicity, "You'll want to head back up the main road here till you pass the old police station, then make a right and follow the signs to the Huntsman's Rest tavern. Then it's a quick hop over to Residential Block A, take the shortcut through Salt and Sunny's, and follow the road around to the left. The craftsman district is just past the Drunken Boar."

Viorica blinked, trying to remember all the details, "Thank you?"

"You're welcome." He waved her off, turning back to his book after she'd started walking away.

* * *

She hated Mistral.

It was official, Viorica was never coming back here without an updated map and a GPS system installed on her scroll so she wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense again. Or better yet, she would somehow convince her mother - no, her brother would be an easier target - to set up a proper office in Mistral itself. It was something that really should have been done long before Beacon fell, but with the CCT running and the ease of communication that the towers brought, plus the Zaruciti's own personal airships to fly people where they needed to go, it was deemed an unnecessary expense. Well, Viorica had determined it was very necessary now; they needed Mistral natives to navigate the streets in a timely manner.

The pale woman had found Huntsmen's Rest with no worries but the residential blocks weren't very obviously labelled, let alone finding Salt and Sunny's afterwards. So Viorica was lost, _again_, and not feeling very generous. Even with her umbrella, her stockings were clammy and cold from the misty air and her shoes felt a little squidgy as she walked.

She needed to get out of this rain and dry off a little; a glance around revealed a rather...seedy bar with a sign bearing the image of a snarling dog head in bloody red hanging above its door. There was no name on its cloudy windows, but the blue eyed woman could barely see people milling about inside, some with drinks in hand. It was good enough for her; she only wanted to get out of the weather for maybe 20 minutes, and she could look after herself if anyone acted undesirable.

The door didn't creak, but the handle did squeak as Viorica pressed down on it and stepped in, drawing the attention of a few of the people sitting inside as she habitually ducked a little to avoid knocking her head on the doorframe. As she glanced up, the first thing Viorica noticed was that they all wore similar outfits; dark red suits with the same snarling canine head from the door on the backs of their blazers.

_Oh. _Viorica realised with a wry smirk, _I stumbled across a mob hangout. _She greeted them with a raised hand, tilting her umbrella back so all the water fell to the ground outside as the hardlight deactivated. "Afternoon. Do you mind if I sit here for a little while?"

"What the hell?" One of the men muttered to her left.

"That's a fancy umbrella…" Another trailed off.

"What are you doing here?" The man behind the bar asked, setting aside the bottle of rum he'd been pouring.

"I was searching for the craftsman district and needed to sit for a few minutes. I saw your men drinking through the window-" The barman's eyes flitted in disbelief to the grungy window at her words "-and decided this would be a good place to dry myself for a spell." She tucked her cane beneath an arm and reached into a pocket, "I can buy myself a drink, if you wish."

Almost everyone tensed at her movements, but Viroica ignored them in favour of pulling out a small bifold wallet in a bright, ocean blue. "How much for a Midori Illusion?"

The bartender relaxed marginally, finishing the rum and coke he'd been making for someone else before pulling out a tall glass and the telltale green bottle of melon liqueur. "27 Lien a glass."

Viorica offered a polite smile as she stepped further into the bar, pulling her suitcase along with her, "Thank you very much."

She took a seat at the bar delicately, balancing her cane handle on the edge of the counter beside her. It was quiet while her drink was being made, the regular patrons obviously not sure how to continue their previous discussion with a stranger amidst them. A man to her right was watching her out of the corner of his eye, obviously sizing her up, and Viorica internally wondered if he was planning to rob her or hit on her. After a minute, his eyes zeroed in on the lapel of her dress and he turned to face her with a patronising smile. "Is that a Zaruciti Foundries logo I see?"

"It is," She affirmed with a smile before taking a sip of her drink.

"So, you a business woman then? You must've gotten lost if you're here instead of the smithy or a fancy hotel." He prodded at her, finally raising his eyes to her face.

"A little bit. It's my first time in Mistral, and I neglected to obtain a map before setting out." The black haired woman admitted, "Not to worry, I'm sure the craftsman district isn't too far away."

One of the men behind her gave a bark of laughter, "Bit of a hike for a girl in heels."

"Especially in the rain. There's three territories between here and there, and not everyone's as nice as we are." The one beside her continued. Viorica guessed he was the highest ranking member in the bar with the way he talked over the others.

"Speaking of territories, I'm assuming this is one of your hangouts." Viorica stated, "I saw your logo on the door; what do you go by, Red Dogs?"

"Blood Hound Gang, actually." The bartender spoke up, setting a clean glass down beside him. His eyes flicked up at something behind her, and Viorica inclined her head, catching movement in the reflection of the bottles mounted behind him.

"Bloodhound?" She gave an amused grin, "Aren't they a bit...droopy? Not exactly the most fearsome dogs, I think."

Silence fell at her words, and someone choked back laughter elsewhere in the room. The leader beside her grit his teeth in response, "Blood. Hounds. Not bloodhound. Bloody Hounds of fear!"

"Hm. Sounds like you're trying to compensate for your own drooping personality." She shrugged noncommittally, "I'm more of a cat person, myself."

"You-!" He lashed out, intent on grabbed her arm and giving the woman a good shaking to frighten some respect into her, but found his own wrist in her strong grip. She turned bright blue eyes on him.

"Yes?" She replied.

He wrenched his arm back in response, and she let him go, "I was going to let you be on your way after your drink, but now you've annoyed me. Unless you want to be _very_ sorry, I suggest you apologise. And maybe hand over that fancy Hardlight umbrella while you're at it."

"Avarice?" Viorica asked in surprise before letting out a short laugh, "Sorry, it's not for sale."

"I wasn't offering to buy it from you, woman." He growled, grabbing a machine gun from over the bar and leveling it at her. "Unless you want your blood decorating our bar, I suggest you do what I say."

She hummed, taking a slow sip of her drink, "I don't think I will."

Suddenly behind her was a navy copy of Viorica, complete with an aura-made glass in hand. The copy threw its drink at the man as Viorica spun from her stool, using her copy as a shield from the bullets her adversary fired. The aura-glass shattered on his face, blinding him for a moment as navy fragments glimmered in the air around him and allowing the tall woman to snatch her cane from its resting place on the bar.

"Get her!" The gang shouted, letting out a battle cry as many grabbed crude weapons from their surroundings.

Viroica utilised her actual drink this time, tossing the remains of the bright green liquid in the face of another gang member who approached her, and pegging the glass itself into the groin of a third man. He collapsed with a wheeze of pain as the sturdy tumbler impacted with one of the most sensitive parts of his body. A spray of bullets pulled her attention back to the leader, who leveled his machine gun at her. The next volley was a wide spread, and she pulled up the Hardlight shield with her cane to protect herself from the bullets.

With a flash of navy, another copy of herself charged the leader, sliding across the floor under his bullets to deliver a kick to his hands and knocking the gun from his grasp. Viorica wasted no time pulling her own pistol free, the handle of Avarice disconnecting with a click as she fired a few rounds at the charging men. Her shots were precise, aimed at the most painful locations she could see with the intent of crippling them quickly and without mercy. A few more went down clutching at their groins from her bullets, even if their auras prevented explosive castration.

The remaining fellows were quickly upon her, however, and she ducked under one who attempted to jump on her from a table. A kama blade unfolded near the end of her cane as she deactivated the dust shield, allowing her to hook the flying man around a knee and harshly pull him back to earth. She stomped on his head to knock him out before spinning away as two more men came from behind her, wielding heavy vodka bottles that sloshed with liquid.

Using the kama blade once more Viorica hooked one by the shoulder and dragged him forward, meeting his staggering form with a knee to the face. She blocked the other's vodka bottle with her pistol hand, wincing as her aura took a hit that could have broken bones, and kneed him in the groin for his troubles. He went down just as hard as the others, wheezing. Stepping over the pair of nearly unconscious bodies, Viorica flourished her kama to block a volley of bullets from the leader again, who had reclaimed his gun and was hanging back out of immediate reach.

Viorica noticed the one she'd thrown her drink at was still skulking about, and had claimed a gun of his own. Weighing her options, Viorica leapt into action. She used her naturally long legs to step up a chair and table, before jumping across the room above the spray of bullets both men let loose in her direction. She landed very close to her target, and lashed out with the butt of her pistol.

The man was somewhat versed in martial arts though, as he dodged and responded with a punch of his own, followed by a wild swing of his machine gun. Viorica caught the gun against her kama, summoning another copy of herself just behind her that thrust forward with the faceted tip of its own kama, winding the man. As he stumbled from the blow, Viorica stomped on his toes with a heel and followed it up with a slap of her pistol across his face. He collapsed with a yelp, clutching his nose.

The pain of bullets impacting on her back reminded Viorica of her final opponent, and she dove behind an overturned table as he let loose another volley. As she crouched, a mechanism inside Avarice whirred, loosening the chain inside the shaft of her kama. The long metal casing split into 5 smaller sections, giving her much needed flexibility. With yet another navy shimmer, a copy of Viorica was hidden beside her with its own kusarigama coiled beside it, ready to be thrown.

As one the women stood, spinning the chains on opposite sides of their bodies before tossing the hooked end of the weapon at the Bloodhound Gang leader. Viorica's chain wrapped around his leg while her copy's ensnared his arm and the machine gun. With a tug the man found himself overbalanced and being pulled towards the woman by the chains.

"What are you? You're not a business woman!" He yelped in fear as she dragged him closer, the chain disappearing back into the shaft of the cane as it became one piece again. "What _are_ you?!"

Viorica gave a wicked smirk as she leveled her pistol at his head, "An _auditor_."

A shot rang out, and Viorica glanced up at the bar as she clicked her pistol back into her kama once more. The frightened face of the barman met her over the lip of the counter and she stalked back to her suitcase, checking her hair was still neat in the reflection of a few bottles behind the bar. As she collected her stuff, the black haired woman commented to the terrified man, "You have good skills. I rather enjoyed that Midori Illusion."

The auditor wiggled her toes in her heels and grimaced at the still-slightly-damp feeling. She sighed and swung her cane up once more, ready to create her umbrella again. "Back to it, I suppose."

* * *

Viorica Zaruciti is 23, and the younger twin of Brandeis Zaruciti, the current heir to Zaruciti Foundries. She was born and raised in Atlas, attended Atlas Academy, and upon graduation returned to her mother's company out of a lack of any idea what to do next. Despite Zaruciti Foundries not having a real requirement for a personal Huntsman, her mother eventually found her a job as an auditor. Due to her own skill at defending herself, Viorica is often sent out as a one-woman team, with a focus on rural locations and smithies set up in rougher parts of cities.

Her weapon is a Protective Kusarigama Pistol Cane (PKPC) named Avarice. It is mostly navy blue with gold accents and handle. It holds a pistol in the top, with the main shaft containing a kama blade and separating into smaller sections to become a kusarigama.

Her semblance is Silhouette, and summons a copy of her + objects she is holding (as in supporting with her on strength). Very weak, it only stays around for a few seconds at a time, and can't take more than a single hit. It appears navy blue, the same colour as her aura.

Zaruciti Foundries started off as a simple weaponsmith in Mantle itself, when Solitas was first settled. Over the years, the family has built itself something of a name as a good source for custom weapon crafting, parts, and repairs, and even harder to source materials at not too gouging prices. It's main function nowadays is as a franchise; poorer people around the Kingdoms can opt into the franchise and get a small loan to jumpstart their own weaponsmithing, blacksmithing, repair, or parts shops in exchange for selling under the Zaruciti logo and following their rules. During this time, Zaruciti Foundries fronts the legal and insurance costings of the business. In exchange for this startup, however, the franchise much pay a portion of their earnings to Zaruciti on top of repaying their initial loan, which is subject to interest rates. They currently have footholds all around Mistral and a couple in Vale, but haven't been able to make headway into Vacuo due to the harsh and ever-swallowing nature of the desert.


	2. Little Pig

The roads between the City of Mistral and Windpath were mostly tame due to regular patrols, but sometimes Grimm still managed to slip past the watchers and cause trouble for travellers. Viorica wasn't worried, of course, but she did read the warning signs along the road. There were the typical 'Grimm sightings in this location!' signs, and a couple of 'Watch for Lancers!' warnings at the turnoff towards Lake Matsu. She even saw the snarling image of a Beowolf above a 'No picnicking' sign a little further out of the city itself, making the pale woman shake her head at some people's stupidity.

She had hired a motorcycle for the trip, just a little thing that would carry her from Mistral to Windpath and back faster than walking would be. It was an offroad bike, built for rough terrains and moderate speed, and she was making good time north when an _idiot_ stumbled across the road, followed closely by a Boarbatusk. Viorica didn't even have time to slow before the front wheel of her bike plowed into the Grimms side, tossing her over its body.

The black haired woman landed roughly, rolling a few times before managing to stop in a kneeling position looking back at the stunned Boarbatusk. It shook its head and regained its footing, turning to face the motorbike in anger and confusion. With a heave of its tusks, the light bike was flipped into the air and crashed back onto the road with a crunch.

"There goes my security deposit," Viorica muttered to herself at the sight of the mangled front wheel. Movement to the right caught her attention, and she glanced at the stupid teen clambering up a stout oak tree to hide from the Boaratusk.

Satisfied that at least he wouldn't get in the way, bright blue eyes turned back to the Boarbatusk. She could see her cane still barely attached to the chassis of the bike, thankfully not broken from the multiple crashes it had just been through. Her suitcase had been flung free when the Grimm tossed the bike, and was now lying amongst the roots of another oak tree. It looked to be fine; the zip had held and nothing had fallen out. The main issue was that the boar-shaped monster was between Viorica and her weapon, and she wasn't exactly specialised in Grimm fighting.

As the boar turned its attention to the other object in its immediate vicinity - Viorica herself - a navy copy of the woman appeared in its field of view. The clone charged forward recklessly, distracting the Grimm while Viorica took a more roundabout path in hopes of getting her weapon before it came for her. The Boarbatusk squealed in retaliation to her clones aggressive charge, throwing itself forward into a spin that obliterated the aura-copy and carried it past the trees lining the road. Wood chips flew through the air as a young sapling was splintered beneath its attack, and clods of dirt and grass flew as it ground to a halt against a sturdier trunk.

Taking the opportunity given to her, Viorica launched herself into a sprint towards the mangled bike. Her long legs ate up the ground easily, and she leapt over the vehicle to crouch beside it. Quickly undoing the last clasp holding her cane in place, she stood as the Boarbatusk reentered the road. It fixed baleful red eyes on her, swiping a hoof on the grass underfoot as it readied another charge at the black-clad woman.

Thinking quickly, and faced with a very angry Grimm, Viorica created another copy of herself. Her clone grabbed the left side of the motorcycle while she grabbed the right with both hands. Planting her heels firmly on the ground, Viorica and her copy lifted the bike off the ground with an overhead heave and slammed the back wheel onto the spinning form of the Boarbatusk. The weight of the bike stopped the boar in its tracks, dazing it once more, and Viorica let the rest of the bike fall on top of the black monster to snatch up her cane once more.

The boar shook off the weight fairly easily, stumbling back to its feet. A few looser plates of armour were cracked and some even fell from its body entirely, shattering to dust particles in the wind.

Viorica didn't give it much of a chance to recover, loosening the kusarigama from of her cane and wrapping the pistol end around its massive tusks while it was trying to refocus on her. With a quick couple of hops over its body, she gave a firm tug on the Boarbatusk's head to haul its neck back towards her. It was hard work, as she was basically pulling an entire boar around with her own strength, and she spammed semblance copies that lent her own strength to the heaving in sporadic bursts.

Squealing in protest the entire way and unable to use its hooves for better purchase on the ground, the Boarbatusk was eventually pulled backwards. It fell heavily onto its spine, where it immediately started squirming in an attempt to roll over and stand up again. The black haired woman wasn't going to give it a chance, however, as she swung down with the kama still in her hand. The sharp blade sunk into the soft flesh of the Boarbatusk's side, and she placed a foot against the squirming body to steady it as she dragged her weapon backwards. The flesh gave way beneath her blade, revealing the shockingly bright red insides of Grimm as she vivisected the boar.

The Grimm died with one last squeal, and Viorica panted with exertion as she straightened and withdrew her weapon from the dissipating cloud of smog. Her aura was low - especially after spamming her semblance so much - and if the tall woman hadn't been able to kill the Boarbatusk then, she believed the Grimm would have done a lot more than just destroy the rental bike. What's more, her dress was dusty, she had ladders up her right stocking leg, and she could feel dirt in her hair.

"I-Is it safe?" A young voice called out in worry, reminding Viorica of the teen she'd inadvertently saved.

"It's dead," She replied shortly, striding over to her suitcase. It also had a few extra scuff marks and dings on its shiny plastic case, and one of the wheels was lost. Turning back to the kid as he slithered down from his safe place up the tree, she looked him over. "What are you doing out here?"

"I-I had a fight with my mom…" He admitted with tears in his eyes. He couldn't have been more than 14, and Viorica rolled her eyes. _Stupid, pig-headed teenagers and puberty._ "I-I was just gonna hide out in the forest for a few days, make her worry a bit, and then go home, but the G-Grimm found me and chased me."

"It was a Boarbatusk." She told him incredulously, "They're not as dangerous as fire breathing Manticores and Sphinx, but they're still dangerous. What on Remnant possessed you to hide in the _forest_ of all places? You almost _died_. Where are you from?"

"Windpath," He admitted, hanging his head. His shaggy green hair flopped in front of his eyes, hiding them from view as he wilted beneath her stern glare. "I-I just-I just needed to get out of the house for a bit."

"Next time hide in your school yard." She commanded, and muttered _idiot_ under her breath. She turned back to her bike once more and gave a sigh, "_Luckily_, I'm on my way to Windpath so I can walk you home. _Unluckily,_ the bike is now lost, so it's going to actually be a walk. Lucky you, you can carry my suitcase since the wheel is broken."

He hunched his shoulders some more and nodded in acceptance, scuffing his feet on the ground as passed him the piece of luggage. As the kid turned away to begin walking, Viorica noticed the thick, hairy boar tail poking out from above his pants. She withheld a sardonic snort and shook her head in amusement. _The Boarbatusk was chasing a little boar._


End file.
